Trouble Sleeping? Yeah, Me Too

I don't know about you, but for me sleep can feel a bit like wasted time. Technically I know it isn't. At the same time, when you feel as if you're barely keeping up with the various projects in your life, sleep easily slips to the back-burner. However, more and more research makes it evident that getting the right amount of quality sleep is crucial for living the other 16 hours or so of ours days well. If you're struggling in your personal or professional life, getting better sleep should be at the top of the self-care list.

I remember being in kindergarten and how much I dreaded the coming afternoon nap-time. As I got older and even to this day I look back longingly to the days of mandated rest in the afternoon. In fact, I think it should be reinstated in the corporate world as soon as possible. That's unlikely to happen, methinks. Thus, it's up to us to make sure we are taking enough time and the proper steps to get the sleep we need at night.

If you're are a bit of an over thinker (like me), you may find it useful to try one of the sleep apps available from your app store. I really like the Calm app for this. There's a whole collection of "Sleep Stories" you can listen to that may help you nod off. It's like bed-time stories for adults. I also find that a melatonin supplement can be helpful, although I try not to rely on it on a daily basis as I'd rather not become dependent on a sleep aid of any kind, if I can help it.

Some of us though may find that chronic insomnia and/or anxiety have brought us to the point where we need that, and that is perfectly okay. I'd like to try and do all I can to help the process occur naturally. We may not even realize the things we may be doing to interfere with our sleep cycle. We can create new habits and engage in behaviors that will help us. The Mayo Clinic offers some helpful tips to help you get to sleep here. Also, the National Sleep Foundation has some helpful tools you can employ. Take a look at those here.